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30 Most Recent RSS FeedNEW: Launch at Login v1.0
It is often convenient and desirable to have your designated iTunes Media folder—the folder pointed to in the "Advanced" tab of iTunes' Preferences—located on a large external drive or server. Those of you who do this know the advantages.
But.
An issue that has been known to occur with this configuration is that if the volume or server containing the designated iTunes Media folder does not mount during the computer's startup before iTunes launches, iTunes will presume that this folder is inaccessible and it will default to using the ~/Music/iTunes/iTunes Media/ folder instead. It does this because it needs a definitive place in which to save CD rips (which still happen at my house), converted files and Store purchases.
(More modern versions of iTunes are much better at reverting to the designated iTunes Media folder if its volume is mounted later. But for years this was always dicey and still can be.)
This swapping of designated iTunes Media folders can be problematic. It can render tracks in the iTunes library dead, duplicated, missing, orphaned. And so on.
My podcast partner, Kirk McElhearn, and I discuss this issue on an upcoming episode of The Next Track podcast concerning using a network-attached storage device (NAS) to store iTunes media. In conjunction with that episode, I wrote a script applet to be used as a "Login Item", Launch at Login, that will attempt to mount the volume at startup, confirm it is actually mounted and only then launch iTunes.
Typically, AppleScript can use the mount volume command, which under some circumstances requires providing a username and password. I didn't want to do that because 1) it is difficult for AppleScript to securely manage storing that data and 2) it is awkward having users edit the script to "hard-code" their username and password. But this script avoids having to do that—and not in any devious way—by attempting to open a folder on the volume pointed to by an alias to it in a specific local folder on the startup drive. In order to open this alias'd folder the operating system will be obliged to mount the volume/server it is on; the script will wait until that folder is accessible and then will launch iTunes. If, for some reason, the folder does not become accessible within a reasonable amount of time because the volume didn't mount, the script will not launch iTunes and will display an alert saying so. At that point the user can decide what to do; presumably, mount the server and then launch iTunes manually.
The anxious part of me feels obliged to note that this script does not use any security (other than being signed with my Developer ID) so if you do not want a volume or server to be mounted in unattended startup situations then do not use it.
There are some simple yet specific instructions and caveats to heed before using the script at your house so be sure to read the documentation that accompanies the script in the download. More information about the Launch at Login applet and download is on this page.
The Next Track - Episode 38 - Audio at CES
The Consumer Electronics Show was held a few weeks ago and Chris Connaker from Computer Audiophile joins me and Kirk to talk about audio gear at the show and some interesting information about the future of the MQA audio format.
You can listen to the episode at The Next Track website here or subscribe here in iTunes to make sure you get all future episodes.
iTunes 12.5.5 Released
Apple has released iTunes 12.5.5 (alongside a Sierra 10.12.3 update). Nothing specifically announced as new except the nonspecific "minor app and performance improvements". More as it develops.
The Next Track - Episode 35 - Peter Chilvers
Kirk and I are both fascinated with Brian Eno's generative music app, Reflection. So we asked the developer, Peter Chilvers, to come on the show and talk about generative music and his other app collaborations with Brian Eno.
You can listen to the episode at The Next Track website here or subscribe here in iTunes.
The Next Track - Episode 32 - DACs
Outboard DACs are a subject that we've been meaning to get to and so we invited Chris Connaker of Computer Audiophile to be our guest once again to explain everything we'd want to know about using a digital-analog-converter in an audio system.
We're sponsored by WALTR 2: transfer virtually any media files to your iPhone, iPad, or iPod, without using iTunes. Save 15% on Waltr 2 with a discount code from The Next Track.
You can listen to the episode at The Next Track website here or subscribe here in iTunes.
The Next Track - Episode 31 - Apple Music
Jim Dalrymple, long-time Mac journalist and founder of The Loop, recently wrote a critique of Apple Music and we asked Jim to elaborate on his experiences and thoughts with the service.
We're sponsored by WALTR 2: transfer virtually any media files to your iPhone, iPad, or iPod, without using iTunes. Save 15% on Waltr 2 with a discount code from The Next Track. Seriously: check out WALTR 2.
You can listen to the episode at The Next Track website here or subscribe here in iTunes.
iTunes 12.5.4 Is Out
Apple has released iTunes 12.5.4, which appears to add support for the new TV app, Touch Bar on the MacBook Pro, and other minor fixes.
M3Unify v1.5.0
M3Unify is a simple file managing app that can copy and arrange audio files to a selected folder, volume or portable media. Tracks can be dragged from iTunes or files can be dragged from the Finder. When loaded in M3Unify, a set of flexible exporting options enables you to arrange your music files the way you and your music player want.
With M3Unify you can:
- Copy files of tracks dragged from iTunes or the Finder to a selected folder
- Rename copied files using substitution patterns based on track tags
- Create Album or Artist/Album sub-folders based on track tags
- Export album artwork as "folder.jpg" files, one per Album sub-folder
- Create an M3U playlist
- Format M3U Extended track information using substitution patterns based on track tags
- Optionally convert files to AAC files (or MP3 files via iTunes)
Plus, these features:
- M3U preview
- Track information and Quick Look auditioning
- Uncluttered, easy-to-use interface
- On-board and online help
This latest version adds the ability to drag Finder files; skip conversion if source files are already in the selected format; adds limited pattern matching for sub-folder creation (eg: [year]/[genre]); other enhancements and performace fixes.
M3Unify is $5, free for current registered users, video demo after the jump, download is on this page. (more…)
The Next Track - Episode 29 - Tagging Audio Files
We get around to talking about some tagging basics, mostly geared towards iTunes. Kirk reminds me about Option-space bar. I had the chance to mention a few AppleScripts for exporting artwork and my "Smarts" app for managing Smart playlists.
We're sponsored by Drobo, simple to use storage arrays designed to protect your important data forever. Visit Drobo.com and be sure to listen to this episode for info on how to save 20 percent on your next Drobo purchase.
You can listen to the episode at The Next Track website here or subscribe here in iTunes.
NEW: Display File Path
Essentially—and some might argue for either better or worse—iTunes is a file manager.
In fact, I usually will tell people to just forget about the files. Let iTunes deal with them. Most people will never need to examine the files inside the iTunes Media folder.
OTOH, I do all kinds of twisted things to tags and metadata and I often need to know how that may have affected the location of a file. Or sometimes I'll need to know if a file is where I think it is or is still named what I thought it was.
This information isn't handily available (although some Smarties will copy the file path to the Comments tag so it is viewable in the Comments column in the browser window). You can reveal a track's file using iTunes' "Show in Finder" command or see its file path in the Info window's File tab, but this uses up valuable finger time. And the Info window is modal; you can't run scripts when it's visible.
So I made this simple stay-open applet that will monitor iTunes and display the file path of the single selected track.
The window is resizeable horizontally and the text is scrollable.
The Display File Path window will float alongside iTunes and whenever a single track is selected—and its file is accessible—the file's path will be displayed. The displayed file path can be copied as text to the clipboard and the file can be selected in the Finder. There's also an option to show the file paths of each playing track instead of the single selected track.
Obviously, it's only useful for occasional special jobs but I've been finding it handy when the need has arisen. It's free to download and use with a donation nag and is available here.
